Sitting. Me. In a coffee shop. Minding my own business. Enter a later twenties, early thirties woman. And child. Caucasian. Likely American by her accent. Child around 2. Me working on some reading. Minding my own business. Woman stops one of the coffee shop employees. "Can you just take my order here? I've got the baby, and I don't want to leave her alone." Complete and total look of panic on employee's face. In comprehension? Surprised? Employee and me, respectively, yes.
I know that I can be a demanding American sometimes, but hey, I am also a midwesterner with a fair amount of manners. I move for people on the sidewalk much more so than I would need to. I am 6' 3" and yet I am the one moving when coming face to face with a 4' 8" elderly Chinese woman. But what does this have to do with this story? Let me get back to it.
Employee 1 leaves. A minute elapses. Enter employee 2. Questions of clarification with more comprehension. Order from seat. Child. OK. Take order. "OK. I want a tall, tall, tall [speaking for clarity] skim..." Employee 2 repeats accurately. "...no-sugar...caramel...latte...and I want only half and half...half decaf...and half regular. Oh, and could you make that not too hot - warm - but more than warm. You know, not too hot but more than warm. OK." Look of amazement. Employee 2 and me. Stuggle to look down I do. Employee 2 takes money and leaves.
Enter employee 3. Order? Repeat? Leave employee 3. Return employee 2. Coffee in hand. Change on table. Done? Enter manager 1. Repeat coffee order? So sorry. Mistake. Will replace. Exit manager 1. Enter employee 3. Coffee. In to-go cup now. Repeats order. Woman agrees. Thanks. Gets up. Leaves child unattended. Coffee cozy needed. Coffee is hot. Child wanders off, luckily after mother. Triumphant. Mother and child return.
I talked to this woman a little bit before I left the coffee shop. She seemed very nice. How was she the same woman that I had just seen create one of the biggest orchestrations ever to befit a coffee shop? What had made her turn into the demandabeast? I don't think she even realized she did it, but from the outside looking in, there she was. Ms. Entitlement. It was absurd, but unfortunately a little too common. I fear that there is a certain class of expatriot, the one that you most commonly think of, that can develop a real sense of right to things that by all means they really have no right for. A coffee in your seat, not to hot, or cold, or caffeinated, or sugared, or fattened by milk product. But this is but an easily identifiable case of an affliction that can strike any expatriot. You begin to expect that local markets should carry cucumbers that look like cucumbers did where you come from. The same for meat, fruits, etc.
I am glad to say that this situation turned out well, but I fear for all of the accumulate situations like this. We Americans abroad must be humble in our interactions for actions that point towards our ownership of the world and expect its adaptation to our needs do not come across well. It takes many positive experiences to overpower the memory of these negative ones. We each must be aware of the dangers of our own freedom to travel and accepting of the cultures and the people that shelter us while away from home.
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